AC 2021 Round One: Team Two

[Elite Optic]

Elite watched disgruntled as the large yacht left the jetty. The sudden shift from sails up and docked to open sails and lifting off was dramatic to say the least. Elite considered his appearance gave them a fright as it wouldn’t be the first time, but even then this was a little odd. He watched the rudder adjust as it turned out into the open water, the slow but accurate arc of the ship just emphasized its impressive size, and furthermore made Elite wish he was on there.

Sorian clambered onto the boat with a confident little jump and smiled. “Yes. This is more than capable of achieving travel across the waves.” He wandered up and down the small deck proudly for a moment and then paused as he stared out into the horizon of waves. The cold sea air crept into his cloak and he shivered rather violently; he couldn’t help but fear this was a bad sign of what was to come, or was it simply that the wind was cold? He wrapped his cloak up tight and adjusted the toggles to hold it still.

A gentleman? I’ve not been called that since I was human. A deep sigh groaned from the skull of Elite. “Of all the great ideas you have provided… This is by far the worst Sorian…” He stamped his foot onto the boat and felt the entire catamaran shift ever so slightly, then hesitantly took his second foot onto the deck. The entire catamaran jolted to a tilt in Elites direction and Elites inner expression was one of embarrassment. Thankfully without any facial muscles he could hide this but for the continual sign that echoed out involuntarily. He marched into the center of the boat and felt it stabilize for a brief moment, but it was hard to drop the ridiculousness of being such a large skeleton on such a small craft.

“Maybe we really can stick a sail on you and gain more wind power?” Sorian attempted briefly to mock the moment. “Haha. On a serious note, it would appear you do hinder this boat maybe a little bit more than I thought you would.”

“We must find another more capable boat. The speed advantage to this vessel is surely lost if it cannot raise itself out of the water to benefit from its design…” Elite was not a master boatman but he knew enough to know when something was a waste of time. He walked carefully back across the boat, holding out his sword as a sort of balance pole. Just as the catamaran appeared to want to tilt too far, he stepped back onto the safer, more sturdy wooden jetty.

Sorian looked around for a solution. He wasn’t sure exactly what he could do about this, but he didn’t want to go searching for yet another seafaring vessel. He rubbed his thumb and middle finger into his eyes in a frustrated manner and took a deep breath. Then in a bizarre moment of clarity as his eyes focused upon the pile of ropes and netting an idea sprung to him.

This old noggin isn’t quite senile just yet. “WE CAN DRAG YOU!”

Elite paused in his exit and turned his head back to Sorian and the two other confused humans.

Sorian skipped across to the netting and took a hold of a line in his old, but steady, hand and held it somewhat triumphantly above his head. “You collapse your body into this net and we’ll throw you overboard, dragging your body behind the boat… This will put the weight into nothing more than a bit of drag while the boat still powers away like its usual self!”

Elite stood silent for several moments, trying to take in the idea that he would let his body be dragged through the waters like a buoy marking the rocky outcrop of the shoreline.

“Think about it, Elite. Your head can remain here on deck with us and your body remains out of the way. It’s ingenious I tell you!” Sorian turned to the owner of the ship. “Can we use this?”

Twiddling with her hair braid ever so slightly Emi smiled an amused smile. “Honestly, I think that’s a great idea. It’ll be easier on ’Dancer and gives us more space on deck. I’m curious to see how this… separating of the head thing works…”

“Elite come here and step in this netting.” Sorian almost excitedly began spreading the net out, asking for his new associates' help. “I guess this is a great time to introduce ourselves properly. My name is Sorian… Just Sorian, and my compatriot here is Elite.”

Sorian began handing out the netting, a little ignorant of whatever else they were doing. “If you can help me with this net please… Both of you!”

“Emi,” she supplied as she moved forward to help get the netting arranged.

"Leoric," the second added with a friendly nod of the head.

The boat rocked once more as Elite stepped back onto the deck. Then standing over the gaping hole of the net he held out his large sword towards Sorian. He had come to trust him over the years of working together, so as vulnerable as this potentially left him there was no concern as to Sorian’s motives.

Sorian took a hold of the unique blade, so large and heavy he carried it across both forearms and placed it down on the deck behind him. Knocking the rusty flakes of metal off his cloak sleeves he watched the closed eye on the hilt, feeling like it could open at any moment and stare devilishly at him. Elite had never explained the true power of such a blade and while Sorian had not witnessed anything spectacular the fact it shed rusty metal, but never diminished, said that something more than just being scary looking was going on.

“Sorian!” Elite called him back to reality and handed the netting over to him. “Let’s get this over with.”

Elite's body collapsed to the floor, the bones no longer joined and now becoming a clumsy pile of what appeared to be discarded giant bones. His head floated about a meter off the ground and moved away from the netting to let them close it up. It wasn’t often he ever did this and it felt somewhat weird to be separated from his body, moving around just by thought and slower than he would walk meant a bit of patience was in order.

Working as a team the group pushed and carried the netting to the edge of the boat, tying up the ropes they secured Elites body before dropping it into the water. Sorian watched as the bones slowly sank beneath the water, not floating as well as he predicted as they disappeared into the darkness beneath them.

He coughed again, covering his mouth as he heaved hard from the chest. The land before him had been his home for so long and while he had travelled to other continents before he had built his life here in Radasanth, Corone. It was only a couple of steps to his left to get back off the boat and back onto the jetty to his homeland. The smell of the salty sea was a nostalgic sign that he was leaving home, something he had not smelt in a long time. The underlying fear of death returned to him, and it was hard to shake the feeling that this could be his last time at home.

“The only one who should be depressed about my body going under water is me.”

Sorian didn’t break from his trance, his eyes locked onto the Radasanth Docks as if he was looking beyond its wood and walls. “I can’t help but feel that I’m leaving it all behind for the last time. Everything. What if I have forgotten something? Forgotten to say goodbye to a friend? Forgotten to return a book to the library?”

“No one is ever prepared for death, Sorian. The rewards at the end are all you need to worry about.” Elite paused as he looked behind himself to ensure the others were not within ears length, and lowered his voice. “The Penumbra Syndicate are expecting us to deliver, if you don’t believe in yourself then you’re already losing the battle.”

—----------

“If not for the skeleton standing behind you, I’d not have the faith in you that we’ve had in the past. You are coughing as if you are ill.” The syndicate's contact stood boldly before them both, concerned that he was handing off a task to the wrong person.

“Have I failed you before?” Sorian questioned, keeping his voice low so as to avoid an echo from the arched alleyway.

“No.”

“Then ignore my age and give me this opportunity once more. I am fine, it’s just a little cough. We will retrieve the sword and return it to yourselves in due course.”

“Remember, there are not just people going for this, there are armies…” He held his hands behind his back and walked closer to Sorian. “We cannot afford for the other agents of Radasanth to get it first. It must be us. The effects on the future are limitless, and this will truly get us noticed by the rest of the world.”

“I understand.” Sorian folded the message and slipped it into his pocket. “Just have the payment ready for when we return.”

Sorian turned away without another word. Leaving the shadows of the alley and stepping out from under the archway of the old building. Elite waited effectively guarding the entrance to the alley way by just leaving his presence by the entrance.

“It’s done. We head out immediately.”

“I hate politics… it’s what got me murdered all those years ago.” Elite gripped his sword and placed it up and over his shoulders. “Let us do the murdering this time.”