Blood in the Water

[Revenant]

Cold spray spattered from the crests of the white-capped waves to spatter chillingly against the sides of the Ixian Saviors. The cargo vessel’s real name was the Pride’s Catch, but when Sei Orlouge had hired out the entire vessel for the trip from Corone to Salvar he had insisted that the vessel temporarily be renamed so that everyone who saw her would know that it was the Ixian Knights who were on board. The Captain had balked at the request, seeing it as a great insult, but even honor had its price in gold, and thus the proudly emblazoned letters on the ship’s stern were covered over with a makeshift nameplate which carried the Ixian namesake far and wide.

As if anyone is going to notice, William Arcus grumbled, ruminating under the same disgruntled cloud which had followed him ever since Sei had ordered him on this assignment. For more than a week William had been gathering reports of a nest of giant spiders which had claimed the lives of several caravans and hunting parties within the Concordian Forest. As leader of the Ixian monster hunters, William had just finished preparations to take his team out to deal with the oversized vermin when Sei had called him into his office. Several scattered reports had reached the mute mystic’s ears of a pack of sharks which had shown up off the Salvarian Coast and Sei wanted William to drop everything to deal with it.

William had argued against the decision, fairly violently as his emotional nature was prone to, even going so far as to throw his collection of intelligence reports, plans, and maps at his leader as proof that he was following Sei’s directions to avoid the slaying of another friendly monster. After the resulting shards of glass had been torn out of his body, William found that Sei had been utterly unmoved by his point.

“We don’t have as much exposure in Salvar as we do in Corone,” he had said, “so I need you to do this right now to show how rapid the Ixian Knights’ response can be.”

The rationale had set William off on another rant, and he had pointed out that Sei’s decision was not only contradicting his own new rules about ‘jumping into the killing too soon’, but that it would mean even more deaths and loss of goods and trade to the people who relied upon the roads In Concordia for their livelihood. The violence of William’s second tirade peaked after Sei had dismissively hand waved off all of William’s concerns, and it was only after William was forced to pull the shards of glass from his body the second time that Sei had relented.

“Fine then,” the Mystic had petulantly conceded, “the monster hunters will deal with the Concordian spiders. But they’ll do it without you. You’ll take some of the new recruits and head to Salvar to deal with the sharks there.”

William had balked at the order; that his team should head out without him. Sei’s only reply had been a smug, “well if you’ve trained them properly then they won’t need you, unless you’re worse than Taka.”

William had stormed off, his demonic fury sending Ixian regulars scattering through the castle until Sei had been forced to intervene.

“Listen Willie,” he had said, deciding that it was time to pretend to be reasonable, “I can’t risk you being seen back at work in Corone until the Buffalax incident blows over a little more. Besides, I’m even going to hire a boat for you three and your equipment. Aren’t I swell?”

For the third time that day William had been forced to pull glass out of his body.

Now, nearly a week later, William stared out at the stormy Salvarian Sea and fumed. When he had first met Sei, William had found the Mystic to be almost larger than life. He had helped William come to terms with the dualistic nature of his merged soul and had coached him through being able to control the violent urges that perpetually lurked just beneath his skin. But time and experience had dulled the golden glow that suffused the orange-haired Mystic. The larger the Ixian Knights and Sei’s influence grew, the more William noticed that the man was little more than a toy prince playing wearing a paper crown and dreaming of his own glory. His delusions of ultimate grandeur had progressed to the point where, at least in his own mind, he could do no wrong. All of the blame for everything that didn’t go his way was shifted to everyone around him with only the barest threads of logic to support Sei’s claims. He had even gone so far as to throw Jensen Ambrose out of the Ixian Knights for “causing the entirety of the Ixian Knights to become incompetent.”

It was a well-known and verifiable fact that William held no love for Jensen and that the only thing that kept the demonic warrior from killing the man was his immortality. That being the case, even William had raised an eyebrow at Sei’s decree, knowing as well as the most untrained soldier that if all it took was one loud-mouthed idiot to disrupt your entire army then you’re a failure as a leader. William had ordered his men to ignore Sei’s orders to capture the person that was quite possibly the man who William hated most in Althanas and had let Jensen continue on with his raucous vulgarity as a way of showing his own discontent.

Since then William had found his monster hunting team bogged down with an endless slew of new rules and regulations handed down from Sei. Despite the fact that Sei had someone on his staff who claimed to know everything, William and his team had been forced to conduct hours of research and intelligence gathering on their new targets, something for which the Ixian Knights already had an entire squad. The monster hunter’s had also been forced to undergo sensitivity training to, as Sei put it, “better align their values with the Ixian Knights’ as a whole.”

William was a creature of destruction, born through ancient magic to be a living weapon in a failed war. Only the debt that he felt he owed to Sei kept him in the Ixian Knights to fulfill the vaunted prophecy over the supposed war that would be coming to Radasanth. But if things continued the way that they were, with Sei spending all his time congratulating himself on his perceived awesomeness while the enemy made actual, progressive gains in their plans, then William wasn’t sure how long his ‘debt’ would last.

“Well at least we’ll be in Salvar tomorrow and I’ll finally have something to kill,” William muttered, his words lost to the whipping winds coming in off the sea.

[Caellach]

The chill wind tore past Caellach’s face as the ship soared through the water. The swordsman had grown up in a colder part of Corone, but nothing he had ever experienced compared to this voyage. He had never been on a boat before in his life nor felt the wind ripping past at such high speeds. Touching his hand lightly to his face revealed the skin to be tender and raw.

His sigh was lost in the roar of the sea and air as he stared out at sea. Luckily, he had found that he did not appear to get sick at sea; even in rough waters when the ship pitched and lurched wildly he hadn’t felt any nausea. Presently the vessel seemed to be in calmer waters, and the swordsman sat idly on top of a small storage crate.

He had overheard the captain of the ship saying the vessel would arrive in Salvar soon, possibly on the morrow. Despite the lack of any feelings of illness, Caellach was pleased the voyage would not last longer. Being constantly damp, never warm, and having little to do were not the swordsman’s favorite ways to spend his time.

Supposedly there were sharks terrorizing the coast of Salvar, and Caellach and two other men were being sent to slay the beasts. Caellach wasn’t entirely sure how fighting a shark in the water would work out – it was not exactly easy to swing a sword in the sea – but the leader of the trio seemed to know what he was doing.

The swordsman had heard his Captain, William Arcus, was not entirely human, but as far as appearance went Caellach thought he looked rather human. He appeared knowledgeable and capable nonetheless, so Caellach asked no questions. If he wasn’t human that was fine by Caellach, as long as he had a plan for killing sharks.

Caellach was a new recruit into the Ixian Knights, and had joined the monster hunting squad. He was not well versed in all of the goals of the knights; he had mostly joined to try to help other people, and slaying monsters seemed to fit that description. The swordsman had been mildly surprised only three people had been sent on this mission, but guessed that since the third man, Anglekos, was also a recruit that this was likely not a very high profile operation. He surmised that this was likely either a sort of training mission, or simply an attempt to get more name recognition in Salvar.

His assumption had been at least partially confirmed when he heard the majority of the other knights in the monster hunting squad had been sent to deal with some spiders in Concordia.

The thought of giant arachnids not terribly far from his home unsettled the swordsman. He would have preferred to be a part of the party slaying the spiders, but had not made any fuss since he was so new to the Ixian Knights. He had never been to Salvar, but if sharks were causing trouble he would be happy to help.

[Lord Anglekos]

His first mission with the Ixian Knights, and of course it had to be in Salvar. Since coming to Althanas years before, Eric Anglekos had found little reason to visit the chilly northlands; the cold weather didn't appeal to his nature. Even now, as he and his companions headed there, he could feel the slightest hint of cold running over his skin, and in response pulled his cloak about him tighter, hood raised to cover his exposed ears. Night was coming fast, even as he glanced up with bright, clear eyes at the slowly darkening sky, and let out an uncomfortable breath.

Both of his companions seemed competent at least. He knew naught about either of them, save that the one with the short, dark hair was their leader. Eric had previously met Sei, but had only heard fearful stories about the Monster Hunter's demonic leader, William Arcus. As he peered over at the muscular warrior from beneath his hood, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but had long since learned not to judge by appearances only. Turning his attention over to the other newcomer, whom also seemed to be distracted by the noisy spray of water along the ship's rim, he noted the number of swords and the easy way the other held himself. Another swordsman. Eric snorted to himself quietly, and adjusted Amalia and Pardolaes beneath the folds of his cloak, the long-swords poking annoyingly into his side as he sat.

Apparently, they were hunting sharks off the coast of Salvar. Not long ago, he'd seen the bounty posted up on the board of the Ixian Knights, and had thought about taking it; however, previous occurrences had come up and prevented him from doing so, and thus he'd forgotten about it. But now, here he was, sitting in silence aboard a ship he'd no place on, amongst people he had no relation with. Standing up, he headed for the door that would lead him down into the hull of the ship, seeking warmth and solitude for him and his thoughts.

Sharks. Eric sighed as he disappeared behind the door and down into the relative dark; at least he would be back in Corone soon.

[Revenant]

William remained on the stern of the Ixian Saviors until long after the darkness of night erased the horizon, mixing sea and sky into a single undulating mass. Cold winds swept across the slick wooden planks threatening to freeze the spray that kicked up against the windward rails, but William took no notice. So slight a chill might send the ship’s crew scuttling for thick blankets and thicker coats, but William was a creature of fire that cared nothing for the pettiest of dangers in the frozen north.

“We’ll reach Salvar early tomorrow morning,” a voice, that of the ship’s first mate, cut through the darkness behind William. “Though the Captain doesn’t plan on putting into the wharf until day’s brake.”

The mate waited patiently for William’s approval, though the Revenant was a long time in answering. “That’s fine,” he finally answered, turning to face the mate. Of his bulky frame only the barest outline could be made, a dark blob against the darker curtain of the cloudy night. Only William’s eyes could clearly be seen, twin points of smoldering light in the darkness, and those caused the mate to stumble backward with a gasp.

“Holy Saint preserve us your humble servants,” the man began the Salvarian prayer of salvation as he scrambled away from the Revenant. William dismissed the man with a wave of his hand and then turned back to his vigil. He heard the rapid thud of the man’s boots against the deck as he turned and sighed. Sei had at least had the foresight to inform the Captain of the newly renamed Ixian Saviors of William’s non-human nature, thinking that it would be enough to defuse any situation that might arise. It was only another point where William found himself questioning his lord, for Salvar was a deeply religious and distrustful nation even before the downfall of the Church of the Ethereal Sway. But even though the nation’s prejudice and paranoia bordered on the fanatical, Sei had no qualms about sending a demon to be the face of the Ixian Knights in Salvar.

Master strategist indeed, William grunted and then finally turned and left for his bunk.

There was a tense air all around the ship the next morning, something William couldn’t help but to attribute to his meeting the previous evening with the ship’s mate. No violence had come from it, no doubt owing to the heavy purse of coins that even now sat in a locked box under the Captain’s bunk, but no one could mistake the hostility that met the Ixian hunters as they rose the next morning.

William had no sooner come above deck when the ship’s Captain made a beeline for him. The man was firing off a rapid string of words at the Revenant, but William merely held up his hand for silence. “We’ll be leaving as soon as our equipment is offloaded,” he said.

“That’s all well,” the Captain replied, falling in step alongside William. “But word travels quickly on the docks. An hour after my crew in on shore leave, every sailor in port will know what you are.”

“Let them know that the Ixian Knights are full of demons,” William replied with an uncaring shrug. “It’s Sei’s problem.”

“It’ll be your problem when the witch hunters get to you,” the Captain scoffed, “that is, if a lynch mob doesn’t get you first.”

That finally brought a feral grin to William’s lips. “I’d love to see that. I am here for the killing you know.” The Captain visibly shied away from the Revenant. “But your ship was only our conveyance here. Word was sent ahead of us via magic and there is already a small fishing skiff waiting to take us out to where the attacks have been most heavily reported.”

“Thank the Saint for small miracles then,” the Captain breathed a sigh of relief. He’d received quite a bit of money from Sei to see the Ixian crew safely to Salvar and the last thing he wanted was word to get back to the Mystic that his crew had been responsible for the witch hunt that had put Sei’s crew to the torch. He had heard stories about the orange-haired Mystic, that he used his mind to hurt the people who disagreed with him, and he didn’t want to meet a similar fate because of his crew. William nodded his agreement and then took his leave, heading down to check on his squad’s equipment while the Captain headed up to the wheelhouse to oversee the ship’s mooring.

The mooring was quickly and expertly done and within half an hour, long before the crew was ready to depart, William, Eric, and Caellach had taken their bundled supplies and headed for skiff Thisful’s Pride on the other side of the docks.

[Caellach]

Caellach woke up to find that he had kicked his blanket off his small bunk while sleeping. The only source of heat near him, an iron lantern sitting on a barrel by his bunk, had long since gone out. The swordsman rubbed his hands together to try to get some feeling back into them as he got up, but it didn't help much. Sighing, he gathered his belongings and strapped on his various sheaths: one on his back for his longsword, and two smaller ones on either hips for his shortswords.

As he made his way to the deck of the ship he noticed a group of mailers eying him cautiously and wasn't quite sure what to make of it -- they had been rather friendly in nights past. He flashed a quick smile and ascended a short ladder.

Up top William and the Captain of the ship seemed to be having some kind of argument, and the surrounding crew were obviously trying to listen in as they went about their tasks. The discussion ended before Caellach heard what was said. Shaking his head, he headed towards the back of the ship where the hunters equipment was being stored.

Heavy spears were clustered together point down in a barrel and long lengths of chain lay coiled nearby. Another small crate contained three sharp, curved knives and three tarps. Taking a tarp, Caellach laid about a third of the spears and a few lengths of chain on it. He bundled it up and wrapped one of the shorter chains around it, tying the chain in a knot as best he could. He repeated the process with the other two tarps to make three easy-to-carry bundles. Finally, he slipped the knives into his belt and left the rest of the equipment on the deck.

It was not long before the ship was moored and the trio departed the vessel, bundles in hand. The swordsman could tell the crew was happy to see them go, and after being glared at for most of the morning he was not sorry to leave either.

The dock was busy with sailors and passengers getting on and off vessels of different sizes, and maneuvering through the crowd with the giant spears proved to be much harder than just lifting the heavy bundles. Aside from a few muttered curses from anyone who was bumped into the hunters made it across the dock uneventfully.

The skiff they were approaching seemed rather small for shark hunting -- Caellach thought a larger shark might be able to tip the whole thing over in rough waters, but the three boarded nonetheless. There was not much room left after setting down the three bundles, so it was fortunate the Captain of the skiff had no other crew.

The Captain was an older man with mostly white hair and saggy eyelids, but appeared to know how to sail his skiff from the way he walked back and forth along the small boat without any balance problems. After exchanging pleasantries the three boarded the skiff, and the Captain set about preparing the oars.

"Shark hunting, aye? I used to have such glorious adventures back in my youth, too. You can put your equipment under the bench there," the old man said, pointing towards the middle of the small craft. "I'll need your help rowing with so much weight."

Caellach was not quite sure whether the Captain was mocking the trio or actually boasting, but he obeyed anyways and slid his stack of spears under the wooden bench and sat at one of the rowing spots. When the rest were in position they headed off, out of the harbor. Caellach hadn't rowed a boat before but found it wasn't hard; he had a fair amount of upper body strength and the motion was rather rhythmic and simple. Once out of the docks they headed off along the coast line, and the water remained calm for most of the short trip.

[Lord Anglekos]

The waters appeared calm, for all intents and purposes. Anglekos had remained silent for most of the trip, trying to gather more information about his two comrades than the creatures they hunted. He had listened, and he had observed, the way the sailors had eyed his leader with such distrustful eyes, and heard the prayers they had muttered as they gave William Arcus a wide berth. The other newcomer, Caellach, harbored no such ill will from what he could see, and guessed that the brown-haired swordsman was not a native of Salvar either. Eric, on the other hand, didn't know what to feel, for it appeared to him that this William was naught more than a bloodthirsty hound; he had caught the demon's parting words to the Captain as they had departed The Ixian Saviors, and they did not bode well for possible friendship between the two. Eric was a soldier; he partook of a blade because he fought to protect that which he loved. This William, on the other hand, fought for the sake of battle; he bathed in the bloodshed. So even as he stared at the back of the leader's head in the morning daylight, he felt himself tensed and wary of the other warrior.

Still, the three of them oared the tiny skiff through the waters in relative silence, punctuated only by the cry of a gull and the swell of the sea crashing quietly against the walls of the boat. Even William, he saw, had took up oars, despite being the head of the group, whilst the Captain of the small ship had remained at the stern, piercing gray eyes searching the waters as the morning mist rolled over them. Removing one hand from the handle of an oar, Eric pulled down the hood of his cloak, thus removing the slight inhibition to his sight as he shook out his long, dark hair, simultaneously glancing at his sides and behind him where Caellach sat. He paused, thinking to break the silence and say something to his fellow swordsman, but before he could do so the Captain's voice cut out across the air.

"Be at the ready, you three; I see trouble comin' abroad. Look to the starboard!" Came the Captain's guttural tone, and the three Ixian Knights looked out to the right as if commanded by one invisible conductor. As he stared out towards the water, Eric couldn't see what the fuss was about; beyond the veil of mist, all he saw was water. One, big great expanse of water. But then, the keen eyes of the warrior caught a glimpse of something that caused his hand to reach down to the hilt of Amalia, running his fingers through the strands of hair that dangled from the steel blade's hilt; an act that he often performed to help calm his nerves.

Coming upon them from their right was three sets of fins, slicing through the wall of water with terrible speed. Immediately, Eric let go of the oars and reached down at his feet where he'd previously seen a set of heavy spears lay, forsaking the use of his blades for the moment. Even though his equipment was of a much higher quality than anything this skiff could provide, reach was the most important factor in the upcoming battle; a factor his swords could provide little of.

And after all, Eric thought to himself as his fingers wrapped around one wooden pole, he had his magecraft. That would be enough to run these fishlike monsters down and send the three of them back to Corone with victory in their hands.

[Revenant]

All of the brooding frustration fell immediately away from William’s mind at the sight of the three fins cutting through the water in the Thisful’s Pride’s direction, only to be replaced by the hammering drum beat of his heart as it pumped molten excitement through his veins. A wave of heat blossomed from the Revenant’s form, banishing the gray chill that had accompanied them all the way from port and instilling new life and vigor into William’s limbs.

“Oars up,” he roared, leaping from his own seat and bolting back to where the Captain manned the steering till. His heavy travelling boots thumped loudly on the ship’s wet boards, and the inhuman speed with which he moved was evident in his movement across the rolling deck. The reluctant, duty-bound Ixian Captain vanished from William’s persona as the man stooped to retrieve one of the trussed up bundles of equipment, leaving the living weapon to do its work.

“You’re the expert,” William said as he dropped his pack next to the Captain. “Give me your assessment. Tell me what we need to know.”

The Captain’s face maintained a stern, resolute look as the old sailor scanned the gray waters around them. “My biggest concern is these swells. Without you three at the oars I’ll have to provide what motion I can. If we’re not going forward then my rudder here is useless.” The Captain gave a solid shake of the wooden tiller he held, causing the ship to skew back and forth. “If that happens, then the waves will push us into the trough and we’ll be off-kilter, easy prey for those sharks to just up and capsize us.”

William tore open the wrapped equipment pack and sifted through the contents. “So kill them quick and get back to the oars,” he chuckled.

“That’d certainly be preferable,” the Captain nodded. “Though we’re big enough to keep from getting pulled under if you manage to hook one of the bastards. It’ll fight us, which should pull us forward enough to keep my steering up.”

William stood with a heavy boar spear in one hand and a length of chain in the other, a savage grin cut into his face. “We’ll see what we can do. You just work to keep us going.” He turned back to his hunters, noting their progress. Both were swordsmen, useful enough in a fight he supposed, but not as much so when it came to dealing with the thick hides that most monstrous creatures bore. He supposed it meant even less so when the creatures were under the water. Still, despite being bulky, the boar spears were a simple enough weapon to wield, which should put things on an even footing.

A simple twist was all it took to wrap the chain through the small ring he had had fastened to the end of each spear, transforming the simple weapon into a makeshift harpoon. He made a quick scan of the Thisful’s Pride’s railing as he did so, noting the areas where the wood was thick and strong and where it was worn and brittle. Having sight blessed by the Thayne of entropy was most often a boon when it came to destructive purposes, but there were also times when it was more beneficial to know what wouldn’t break apart under heavy strain.

“Get your spears ready,” William shouted to Eric and Caellach across the wind whipped deck. “Loop the chains through them like this and then fasten the other ends there, there, or there.” He pointed at several spots along the railing with the point of his spear, emphasizing his command. They may be swordsmen, but he was the one in charge of this foray and wanted them to know it.

The trio of fins broke apart and submerged, only to resurface in a circling pattern surrounding the Thisful’s Pride. William bound the loose end of his harpoon to one of the railing’s strong-points and then gripped his spear tightly as he watched the circling fins cut around the skiff.

“Come on you bastards,” he hissed through grinning teeth, “let’s see what you’ve got.”

[Caellach]

As the three fins cut through the water towards the skiff, the Captain gave a quick crash-course in keeping boats afloat during battles with sharks. Caellach nimbly unwrapped one of the bundles of gear after retrieving it from under the seat as he listened. It seemed that killing the sharks with speed was the best course of action, which Caellach had intended on doing anyways.

The swordsman picked up the spear and watched as William set about attaching the chain. The spears were heavy but Caellach was strong; he was able to easily hold the spear with one hand as he imitated William's example. He twisted the chain onto the end of the weapon just as the trio's leader started shouting orders.

It was clear the man wanted Caellach and Eric to understand who was the leader of this merry hunt, and Caellach voiced no objections. He doubted that this would be all that hard now that he had thought more about it, but having someone in charge might help nonetheless. Unless he felt the orders being given were terribly off course Caellach rarely rebelled against authority.

He listened as William pointed out where to attach the chains to the boat, and took a couple steps towards the one closest to him. Upon closer inspection Caellach could tell that the wood at the spots William had designated seemed to be sturdier than that which surrounded it, but Caellach was impressed the man had been able to so quickly identify strong points from farther away. He attached the chain to the skiff and took a step back as he hoisted his spear.

The sharks were now circling the Thisful’s Pride’s and were slowly tightening the circle. Taking aim, he tried to judge the distance to the shark and aim about seven or eight feet in front of the fin. He took his arm back then thrust the spear forwards with a strong throw. The shark happened to edge closer in the moment the missile flew through the air, and the weapon ended up striking the top of the beast, heavily scoring but not impaling.

Caellach quickly turned back to the bundle undeterred, already planning his next throw for better accuracy.

[Revenant]

There was a moment of uncertainty as a wave slammed into the beam of Thisful’s Pride and rolled the skiff’s deck. The loop of heavy chain that William was making on the railway slipped loose as it did so, eliciting a snarling curse from the Revenant.

“Hold this oversized log still,” he snarled back at the Captain who maintained his furious work speed and resolutely ignored the Ixian Captain.

Returning to his work, William grabbed and re-looped his chain around the rail, bracing against the next swell that twisted the world under his feet. He only dimly recognized it when one of the massive creatures broke the surface, spraying water across everything on the skiff, and Caellach’s first throw made no impact on him whatsoever. What did pull his attention from his task was the sudden burst of bright light from Eric’s position.

What the… he thought, only dimly registering the streaked ball of lightning that was massing in the man’s hands. His motions made it obvious that he intended the lightning to lash out at all three sharks at once, using the water around them as a carrier to enhance his spell’s effectiveness. An ugly streak smeared its way through William’s mind at the sight. He hadn’t known that Sei’s newest play toy was another mage and the man had conveniently managed to keep it from his notice. William had nothing but contempt for the users of magic, save for those few who proved incredibly useful. Still, if Eric’s attack was able to slay or even stun the sharks then William would be willing to give him a pass.

The bolt of energy built to dangerous levels before Eric released it into the churning water below. All three of the monster hunters held their breaths for a moment, waiting for any visible sign of the spell’s effectiveness. All three sharks twitched slightly and then the moment was gone and the creatures continued their circling approach.

William snorted derisively as he slipped the last loop in the binding chain. Eric’s show only reinforced William’s thoughts that most magic users were all show and no substance. The approach of another incoming wave caught the corner of William’s vision and he instinctively braced against it. But in the moment just before the wave slammed into the side of Thisful’s Pride a triangular blade of thick green hide cut out of the water on the opposite side. Braced to oppose the incoming wave, William was caught off-guard as the first of the massive sharks slammed into the ship just under the waterline. The strike might have been random, or it might have been calculated by a cunning and understanding mind, but William was too busy at the moment to ponder the point. His legs buckled at the knees from the shark’s attack just in time for the wave to hit the other side of the ship, throwing him from his feet. Only the Revenant’s grip on the chain that he had just fastened kept him from being swept overboard, something he assumed was the same for Caellach. Eric, however, had been left with no refuge, having chosen to spend his time casting his rather ineffective spell rather than tying off a spear as William had ordered.

Time froze for a fraction of a second as William watched Eric slide over the downward edge of Thisful’s Pride. Instinct pulled the Revenant back to his feet, but he only had time to take one step in Eric’s direction before the man’s heavy gear bore him silently under the waves. Eric hadn’t even had time to yelp. It would take a miracle to save Eric at this point, and William wasn’t in the business of providing miracles.

The fool got what he deserved, he though, fighting back the hint of a smirk that threatened to curl the edges of his lips. Turning briefly to Caellach, William thrust a finger purposefully at the young man, “and that’s why you listen when I tell you what to do.”

Taking up his chained spear, William rotated the thick shaft around until it was poised like a harpoon over his head. It took the hunter a fraction of a second to sight the creature whose attack had taken Eric from the Thisful’s Pride and then the spear was flying free. The wide head and thick shaft cut through the water cleanly and even without the extra strength William gained by assuming his demonic form bit deeply into the shark’s flesh. The beast thrashed and pulled, but though the chain strained against the beast’s savage might, it held firmly to the strong-point which William had chosen, binding the shark to the ship’s side.

Got it right where I want it, he grinned, an ugly, savage slice of pleasure across his weathered face. Now for the other two.

[Revenant]

Another violent shudder wracked Thisful’s Pride as the second shark butted up against the vessel’s squared stern.

“They’re turning us into the trough,” the Captain screamed, his voice nearly drowned out by the sound of violent thrashing coming from the bound monster.

More than a coincidence then, William’s mind raced as he spied the third fin cutting around to align itself on the stern as his companion had. “Caellach,” he roared, stumbling for a handhold, “brace yourself!”

A violent jolt threw William across the skiff like a child’s corn husk doll. The deep square stern of the fishing vessel rose high enough out of the water that William could see the foundering rudder swinging freely in the exposed air. A sickening lurch spun the world as Thisful’s Pride rolled dangerously low into the oncoming waves, dumping buckets of foaming water across the vessel’s bottom. Only the weight and buoyancy of the first shark kept the tiny vessel from spinning completely upside down. William scampered across the vessel’s lurching frame as the sharks continued their relentless assault, only vaguely aware of the Captain’s frightened screams.

Finally, after agonizing minutes, Thisful’s Prize settled back into the trough with a snap and the attacking sharks began circling again, sensing that their tactics weren’t accomplishing the goal. Thisful’s Pride still shuddered as the bound shark thrashed to be free, but compared to the storm that it had just weathered, the shuddering seemed like nothing more than the gentle bobbing of a windy day. William’s burning gaze swept the skiff, assessing the situation as the revenant got to his feet.

There was no sign of Caellach, the boy having disappeared in the vessel’s turmoil. Even worse, all of the remaining weapons had been swept overboard. A broken spar of wood swung uselessly where the rudder had only moments before rested. And the pool of water in the vessel’s bottom was slowly being stained red by the oozing blood coming from a shattered wound that the Captain’s left leg now bore.

“Saint preserve me,” the Captain wailed, “I knew twas bad luck to ferry one of your enemies but my greed was too much. And now it will be my end.”

“Shut up,” William snarled, shattering the man’s jaw with a casual swipe of the armored carapace that covered his arm. The frail man collapsed in a twitching mass of bleeding flesh at William’s feet, his cries no longer clouding the revenant’s mind. Burning eyes watched the freed sharks circle closer and closer, drawn in by the scent of the blood being spilled into the seawater over the edges of the bilge and an idea formed in the Ixian Captain’s mind. With both of his companions now at the mercy of the deep gods and his weapon supply exhausted, William needed something drastic to come out of this damned monster hunt intact.

“It’s time you made yourself useful, you miserable cur,” he growled, grabbing the limp Captain by the collar of his ragged, soggy sweater. The man could do little more than murmur in pain and shock but William could see the fear growing behind the cloudiness in his eyes. William drew the man’s face close to his own. “Today you get to be a hero, courtesy of the Ixian Knights.”

With a shrug of casual effort, William tossed the ailing Captain over the railing and into the roiling sea. The Captain’s thrashing became more frantic as the stormy grey waters closed over his head but he needn’t have bothered. Sensing a juicy bit of wounded prey the unbound sharks closed in like arrowheads, assured that they were safe by the sight of William standing over them with no weapons at hand.

Intelligent as they might be, the sharks had no idea that though William had no weapons, he was far from harmless. Demonic power surged through the revenant’s body as he watched the sharks converge on the Captain’s flailing body. A wave of heat blasted against the cold air off the Salvar coast, driving it away as surely as if there had been a blazing bonfire in the center of Thisful’s Pride. Liquid rage coalesced in William’s hands as he watched the predatory beasts come together, tearing the Captain apart in a flurry of blood, teeth, and find. Only then, when they were together, did William unleash the full force of his rage through his magma blast.

The burst of liquid fire was greatly lessened by the cool seawater, but it concussive explosion was enough to scar the sharks and rupture their gills, ensuring a slow and painful death for the hunters. Ink black eyes rolled to look at him and William thought he could see pained surprise in their black depths.

The thought pleased him.

Turning away from the dying beasts, William measured his steps across the sodden deck of Thisful’s Pride. The remaining shark had ceased its thrashing, though whether it was out of fear or as a call for mercy William didn’t know. It was of no concern to the Revenant however, as the creature’s fate had already been decided. With no further threat to him or the skiff, it was child’s play for the demonic warrior to grip the shaft of the boar spear which hooked the shark to the vessel and push it casually through the helpless creature’s innards, bursting the beast’s heart like an overripe Concodrian peach.

With his mission finished, William unwrapped the binding chain from the railing and let it trail the shark’s carcass into the blackness of the abyss. Pulling his cloak tightly about his as if to ward off the weather’s biting chill, William let his demonic form fall away from him. Human once again, the Ixian Captain took a seat on the shattered remains of Thisful’s Pride and waited patiently.

It was only eighteen hours before another fishing vessel sighted him and sailed him back to the safety of land.

[Silence Sei]

Keeping it short and simple, as requested. Any feedback you absolutely must have, just message me and I’ll be glad to throw your way.


Story (7/10):

Continuity (7/10):

Setting (8/10):

Creativity (7/10):

Character (5/10):

Interaction (5/10):

Strategy (6/10):

Mechanics (7/10):

Clarity (6/10):

Wildcard (3/10): Just a note, your wildcard is so low here because your ending seemed a bit rushed. I understand you lost your team mates for this thread, but I kinda expected more of a fight between Willie and the sharks.

Total: 61

Revenant gets 700 exp, 100 GP, and some high quality shark skin that’s equal to arctic leather, enough to make 3 sets of armor/accsessories (since he killed 3 sharks).

Caellach gets 300 exp, 100 GP

Anglekos gets 200 exp, 50 GP

[Letho]

EXP/GP added.